Corrupt
by allonsybabe
Summary: When Ally's innocence is the cause of her constant bullying, she tries to change that. What happens if that change is her downfall?
1. 1

Ally Dawson, by any means, was not a prude. Sure, she only had two boyfriends throughout her first three years of high school, and neither of them had gotten more than simple kisses; but she wasn't a prude. Yes, she swore off sex until marriage and she hid her eyes behind her hands when the movies she watched with her friends got a little racy… but that didn't mean she was a goody-two-shoes…. Right?

_Ugh._ Ally thought to herself as she sat down to eat lunch. _High school politics are ridiculous. Stop thinking about it._ A bear hug interrupted her from her thoughts. "Hey, Ally! Did you finish writing that song for me yet?"

_Austin_. She frowned as he sat down next to her. "No, sorry Austin, but I just haven't had time. Maybe we could work on it together after school?" Hopefully he'd say yes, so she could ask him his opinion on a few lyrics and then relax for a while—they hadn't spent quality time together in ages.

Austin smiled apologetically. "I told you yesterday, didn't I?" Ally looked confused. "So I'm guessing I didn't tell you. I scored a date with Erica, that smokin' hot cheerleader—you know, the one that transferred here two months ago?" _A date. Of course. _Her heart panged slightly at the words.

Dez sat down next to Austin. "You're going out with Erica? Dude… No offense… But she's…" He lowered his voice considerably and motioned for his other two friends to come in closer. They looked at him exasperatingly and leaned in. "She's a bit of a slut."

"Dez!" Ally reprimanded. _Ha. Maybe he won't go out with her, then._

"What? It's true. She puts out, like, every weekend!"

Austin smirked. "I know."

Ally's mind was whirring at a mile a minute. _What?_

As if on cue, Erica and her group of friends sashayed by their table, giggling at something on their phones. Very blatantly, Austin checked them out from behind. "Dude," Dez interrupted, "stop eye-fucking her in front of Ally and me. At least have the decency to do that in private…"

Not wanting to listen to the two talk about Austin's newest toy, Ally groaned in disgust. "Okay, guys, I'll see you later. There's too much testosterone in this conversation for one girl." Picking up her backpack, she stood up.

"Aw, c'mon Ally, lighten up. Sometimes I swear, you're way too innocent for your own good." Austin laughed at his own comment.

Ally spun around within a moment. "There is nothing wrong with being 'innocent', Austin. By the way, I know for a fact that Erica has chlamydia, so have fun on your date." Angrily, she stomped away towards the library.

Austin sat there slack-jawed while Dez was practically on the floor laughing. "Dude. She looked like she was going to strangle the shit out of you. What's up with her today?" _She's never like this_, Austin thought. "Women. Jesus help me."

After school, Ally buried herself in her calculus studies while Trish made herself at home on Ally's bed. "I mean, just because I didn't want to make out with him after the football game under the bleachers doesn't mean that I don't like him, right?" Trish talked on and on.

Setting down her book because studying obviously wasn't going to happen, Ally sighed. "Trish. Trish." Trish stopped rambling. "You don't have to make out with someone just because he wants you to. I mean, geez, he can at least have some form of respect for you... Actually, don't listen to me. I'm 'too innocent for my own good'." Ally crossed her arms and slumped down in her chair. "I mean, insulting my dancing is one thing, but insulting my personality? Ugh, he just makes me so frustrated sometimes..." He did more than frustrate her. At times like this, Ally simply wanted to take out her burning hate for him on anything.

"Well, Ally..." Trish looked to the floor guiltily.

"Oh god, not you too?" Ally glared at her calculus book again. "...Am I really 'too innocent'?"

Trish seemed to be sad for her best friend. "Well, yeah, Alls. You're seventeen and you treat physical contact like it's satan sent from above. Let loose a little! It'd be good for you."

Ally sighed again. "I... I Don't know. There's just so much work to do..." her eyes met her book. "Oh, I was supposed to be writing Austin's song so he can perform it for Jimmy tomorrow! I need to call him..."

Ally reached for her phone, but Trish got to it first. "You can't call him, Ally. Not right now." "Why not?" Trish wiggled her eyebrows. "He's probably letting loose with Chlamydia Girl right now, if you know what I mean."

_Ew. Ew. Ew. So gross_, Ally thought. "Boys. Jesus help them all."


	2. 2

Ally was heading into her fifth hour of working at the piano when Austin busted into the room, his hair disheveled and his shirt not buttoned up quite enough.

Not that Ally was complaining or anything.

Sighing, she shook her head. Austin, being interested in her as more than a friend? The chances of that happening were slim to nothing. So, she blocked out the recurring thought of how impeccably gorgeous he was and cleared her throat. "Um," she said awkwardly, "hey."

He eyed her cautiously and laughed. "Hey…?" He laughed again and flashed his signature smile that made Ally's blood pump faster. "How's—it—going?" With every word he took a step closer to the piano. "Have you got any ideas for the new song?"

Ally struck a few chords on the piano and she came to life. It was a slow, beautiful song. She motioned for Austin to come closer to see the lyrics she had written down. He sat down next to her and began singing what she had come up with. "I swear it was fate, it was destiny that brought you to me…" he trailed off.

Ally stopped playing. "Austin? Do you like it?" _Of course he doesn't, you idiot. He stopped singing._

"It's beautiful, Ally." Suddenly, Austin became silent.

Ally became so nervous in that moment, she began to ramble. "Is it? I was scared that it wasn't going to be good enough… I know that you've wanted to change your image lately but the lyrics just came flowing out and it just felt right, y'know? I'm sorry that you're probably lying to me right now to get me off your back, but—"

"Ally." Austin's face grew stern as he cut her off by placing his hand on her cheek. "_Ally."_

Her face flushed red as she shook his hand off her, emitting a slight _eep_ as his hand brushed her leg just slightly. "So you liked the song?" She struggled to look slightly professional.

His husky voice echoed throughout the room as he said, "Of course." Thick tension swirled about the room.

It was at this moment Ally decided to take note of how close their faces were, and how, suddenly, the room's temperature went up about five hundred degrees. She focused on her breathing—_in, out, in, out…_ She thought for sure she was going to hyperventilate. Her eyes locked onto his, and he smiled a half-grin, leaned in, and kissed her. Even if she was unresponsive at first, she melted into his arms as he deepened the kiss.

He was just sliding off his shirt, when the hard thud of a pillow woke Ally up, along with an, "Ally Dawson, you better wake the fuck up before you make me late to school!" Which, of course, came from Trish.

_Of course it was a dream. _If Ally's face wasn't red before, it was definitely brighter than the sun now. _And holy crap, its 7:45. Time to get moving. _

The dream felt so real that Ally could still feel dream-Austin's warm breath on her neck, let alone his lips. _His lips were so soft… _Shifting uncomfortably, she tried to redirect her attention to her history teacher's lesson. She scribbled down some quick notes and began daydreaming again. _Austin. _She shook her head. He was her best friend, for God's sake! It was too wrong to think of him like this. "Excuse me, Miss Dawson?" Her teacher looked genuinely concerned. "Is everything okay?"

Shrinking down in her seat, Ally flushed red with embarrassment. "Yes, my apologies, ma'am." Her teacher looked at her one last time before turning back around to the board. Huffing with relief, Ally sat up straight again.

"_She's such a kiss-up,"_ Ally heard coming from behind her. "_And she's so goody-goody." "Yes, my apologies, ma'am."_ The group continued to mock her by pretending to impersonate her and started snickering.

Yep, Austin was definitely the least of her worries.

After what seemed like days, the bell finally rang, excusing Ally from her personal hell. School was finally over for the day, meaning Ally could go work on the song she needed to finish for Austin. Walking out the door, Ally made her way over to Sonic Boom. Her mind just couldn't stray from her dream, but it was too unrealistic for her liking—who kisses someone out of the blue like that? No one. And plus, they're best friends. Best friends don't do that. Ally felt the tips of her ears burning just thinking about it.

She started working at the counter as soon as she threw her bag on top of the piano upstairs and ran back down. _I love working here. It takes my mind off of things so easily…_ After helping a couple of people, the store was empty, so Ally began cataloguing the new shipment of instruments that had just arrived. Then, she heard the sound of footsteps in the store again. Without looking up, she said, "Hi, and welcome to Sonic Boom; how may I help you?"

"Why hello, Miss Prude." Ally looked up in annoyance.

It was Erica and her clique.

"Hi, Erica. Kirsten. Kaylie." There were a few guys Ally didn't know, so she didn't recognize them out loud. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The three girls motioned for the guys to step up, and the three of them pushed everything off of the counter. Ally watched all of the papers fall harmlessly to the floor open-mouthed. Erica jumped onto the counter and the other two followed. "How's our class kiss-up doing?"

"Listen," Ally tried to regain her composure, "I-if you can't treat my store and me properly, I c-c-can call—"

"Who are you gonna call, sweetie?" Erica's sickly sweet voice countered. "Your _daddy?"_ Her clique and she laughed cruelly. "I don't think so."

Just then, Kaylie hopped off the counter and fake-tripped. She collided into a display, knocking everything over, and breaking a few violins. Kirsten got up as well, but not before pulling Ally's hair out of her perfect bun painfully quick. Erica laughed again and cocked her head to the side, feigning innocence. "What? Are you gonna cry?"

Ally thought that she just might.

Erica checked her phone and carefully walked to the door. Her crew followed. "You're just too fun to mess with, pet."

Just then, Austin walked through the doors. "Hey Alls—whoa. What happened in here?" An attention-wanting cough came from the front corner of the store. Austin's attention changed directions. "Oh. Hey Erica, how's it hanging, gorgeous?"

Flirtatious laughter ensued. _Oh please. _Ally thought. _Austin's not that stupid. He won't fall for that._ "Hey, Austin. Much better now that I saw you here so unexpectedly…" _Oh fucking please._

Grinning, Austin wrapped his arm around her waist. "Y'know…" Erica whispered just loud enough for Ally to hear, "Last night was amazing, and my parents aren't home…. Round two, maybe?" She batted her eyelashes furiously.

Ally thought she was going to be sick as Austin pulled her out the store. "Wait, Austin, we have to work on your song!" She called out desperately to him.

"We can work on it later," he yelled back as he left.

Erica's clique followed them out, making sure to tip over a couple more displays before they left. Then the door shut, and all of Ally's emotions came flowing out. She cried, seeing the mess in front of her.

Did her worst nightmare just destroy half of her store and mock her being? And then did Austin leave to go have sex with her afterwards?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Not being able to take it anymore, Ally closed up shop early, and locked herself in the practice room to cry. This abuse from them had gone on for ages, but they pushed her over the edge this time. Leaning up against the door, she collapsed. _I hate this so much._

After fifteen minutes of tears, something snapped in Ally's head. _None of this would ever happen if I wasn't like this. I am too innocent. _She dried her eyes. _And I—no matter what extremities I have to go to—am going to change that. _

**Author's Note:**

**Hey! My name's Lauren, and I'm a bit of a fangirl (if anyone cares to know). Whoever's reading this, thank you ****_so_**** much for the responses I received on the first chapter. I was jumping up and down (seriously) when I saw that people reviewed. I'm hoping to update again as soon as possible! **

**Love, Lauren. **


	3. 3

**All your reviews make me so happy :') **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally. I never will and it's quite saddening.**

"Wait, Trish, stop!' Ally nearly yelled as her best friend was trying to put makeup on her. "When I said I wanted to change, I meant my personality, not my looks."

Trish smirked and said, "A makeover was in need, girlfriend. You came over here bawling your eyes out. Now hold still and let me finish your makeup." She continued to apply mascara onto Ally's eyelashes.

Groaning, Ally tried not to blink. "How much more do you need to put on? You must've used the entire bottle by now."

"Hold on, one last touch…. There. You're done." Trish turned Ally to face the mirror in her bathroom.

"Oh my god." In short, Ally looked transformed. Dark eyeliner, black mascara, and smoky eye shadow adorned her eyes. "I look different."

"No shit, Sherlock." Trish retorted. "Babe, you look _hot._ And now… We're going shopping! Grab your bag because if we're giving you a makeover, it's going to be a full-on makeover. Clothes, nails, hair… Oh, Ally, this is gonna be _too_ much fun." Trish grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her out of her bathroom.

Ally stood her ground. "Trish! Shopping's pointless; I just want to learn to be tough! Sassy! I want to have the nerve to stand up to Erica when she pushes me down the next time. I want…" Ally breathed in sharply. "…I want to not be the innocent girl anymore."

Gaping, Trish looked at her as if she was crazy. Then she shook her head. "No matter, home girl. We're going shopping whether you like it or not."

Ally grumbled to herself and got in the car.

o*o*o*o

The clothes Trish forced Ally to buy were most definitely out of her comfort zone. Ally felt so awkward in most of the stores Trish had dragged her into, but the shopping was done, and naturally, Ally was still freaking out. "Trish! There is no way in hell that I can wear any of the clothes that we bought for me. It's too much! They're too scandalous for me! What did I get myself into? I changed my mind; I'm just going to be bullied for the rest of my high school career."

Rolling her eyes, Trish parked in Ally's front driveway. "God, just be glad I didn't make you buy everything that I thought would've been perfect for this opportunity. Now, let's go inside, and start talking about your attitude; because you need to be the next sass master, got it?"

Ally grabbed all of her bags from the car and opened her door. Running to her room, Ally dropped them to the floor and collapsed on her bed. "Trish, I don't know about this anymore…" Ally's eyes were filled with frustration. She was too lost within her head to even think anymore.

Walking in the room, Trish hit Ally upside the head. "You're doing this. You don't want to be treated like shit anymore, do you?"

Trish did have a point, but Ally wasn't so sure. "I think I rushed into this. I mean, I'll probably still be pushed around, and who knows what Austin will think of all this…"

Trish's eyes narrowed. "Ally. Is this about being bullied or is this about Austin?"

_Austin_. "Being bullied. I just want it all to stop. It's physically and emotionally painful, and I'm sick and tired of it." Of course it was Austin. Her best friend was becoming distant with her because of a girl that clearly didn't even care about him.

Trish sighed. "Okay, Ally. Then let's start with your first lesson in sticking up for yourself, okay?"

o*o*o*o*o

When Ally walked into Sonic Boom a few days later, she felt more confident with her words. At least, until she saw that Austin was waiting for her behind the counter. "Hey Ally! I'm here for song writing."

Ally smiled. "Okay, let's go upstairs." Maybe he was okay with her. Maybe this whole "Operation Corruption", which was named by Trish, was totally unnecessary.

Noticing she was lost in thought, Austin raised an eyebrow. Then he ran over to her, picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and began carrying her upstairs. "Austin!" Ally shrieked. "Put me down!"

"Never." He opened the door and spun around a few times. "This is pretty entertaining, if you ask me." He kept spinning in circles, and he slowly began to pick up speed, turning faster and faster.

"Austin! I'm getting dizzy!" She laughed. "Put me down!"

Suddenly, he dropped her onto a bean bag and fell down next to her. "You're too heavy for me to carry," he joked.

Ally hit his arm playfully. "I think you're just too weak to lift me." Then Ally noticed how close their faces were. _It's kind of like that dream I had a week back._ Ally flushed red and grew timid, sitting up quickly, becoming all business within seconds. Somewhere, deep down, Ally was still hurt over the last time she saw him. "Austin. We should get to work."

Frowning, Austin sat up, too. "Listen… Ally," he rubbed his neck nervously. "I'm really sorry about what happened a few days back. And um," he looked up at her. "Erica told me about what she did to you that day, too. Apparently, she didn't know that we are as close as we are, and she was trying to 'brag about her accomplishments' to me… So… I kind of ended whatever that was with her. I'm so sorry that they were so terrible to you."

Ally's eyes filled with tears with the reminder of their actions towards her. Then Austin pulled her in for a bone-gripping hug, shocking her for a second. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tried not to cry. His arms made their way around her waist to bring her even closer to him. "Alls. It's all gonna be okay." Ally continued to cry silently into his shoulder. Austin continued to whisper into her ear. "I'm gonna be here for you through thick and thin." Ally's heart swelled, and they stayed like that for a while. _He's so warm, _she thought. _And he smells really good, too…_

Sniffling, Ally finally detached herself from his body and half-smiled at him. Austin smiled warmly back. _This was Austin. The real Austin. Her Austin. And she was glad he was back. _Everything Austin said warmed her soul, but Ally didn't know that he had told her one, little, white lie.

**Author's Note**

**Yay for chapter three! Slight Auslly for all y'all. I might not be able to post all weekend though... *sighs* I'll try, I promise. Love you all!**


	4. 4

**Oh my god. It's been forever and I'm so sorry. School's practically starting for me and I've been a complete mess... I hope this chapter's somewhat okay under the circumstances.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally, I am just borrowing the characters for my own happiness.**

_Hey, you've called Trish! Either I'm working or I just don't want to answer my phone right now. Leave a message! _

"Hey, Trish. The project's back on. Call me back, please." Ally hung up.

Trish didn't even call back. She just drove to Ally's house and let herself in. "Yo, Ally! What'd you say about the project?"

Ally walked out of her room. "We're starting it up again. Erica and her crew have been terrifyingly _relentless._"

"I thought Austin said they were going to stop!"

"He did. But, they obviously didn't. It's been worse than usual, too." Ally sighed. To say that it had been worse than usual was a huge understatement. Erica had been onto Ally's every move. Endless rumors had been spread, including one that claimed Ally was lesbian, and that was why she hadn't even touched her last boyfriend. She was pushed and locked into an empty locker for two hours, tripped in classrooms at least four times, and had the store trashed three times.

Their actions and words hurt her soul more than anyone could know, and Ally was done with hurting. She wanted to roughen her personality around the edges to get them to finally realize that she wasn't one to mess with. "Trish, I can't be the innocent, meek me anymore. I can't stand to be treated this way."

Trish grinned. "Ever since you started talking about this project, I've been waiting for you to say that. Remember the clothes we bought a while back?" Ally nodded suspiciously. "Put on one of the dresses. We're going to turn you into the baddest girl there ever was, baby."

~0~0~0~

Trish had taken Ally to a party. Not just some low-key party with a few people and a case of beer, but a full-on party, with at least a hundred people, kegs upon kegs of alcohol, and even a dance floor. Fast-paced party music roared throughout the house. To say that Ally felt out of place was quite the understatement. _How in God's name is this just a house? It's more like a club with a boarding school attached to it, _Ally thought as they walked through the door.

"C'mon, Ally! Let's go get your first drink!" Trish pulled on Ally's arm towards the keg.

"Hold on Trish, I can't exactly walk in this…" With her tight dress and six-inch heels, Ally struggled to keep up with Trish. "Trish! Slow down!" Ally wobbled through a big group of people playing spin the bottle… And then her ankle turned ever so slightly, and she collapsed onto the ground.

Actually, she landed on a guy. The _finest _guy she had ever seen.

Her face turned beet red. "Oh—oh my god. I am so sorry, so sorry… I'm sorry." She fumbled to stand, but her heels wouldn't allow her body to move that way.

The victim of Ally's attack laughed, stood up, and offered her his hand. "All that matters is that you're okay. You _are_ okay, right?"

If Ally could turn any more red than she already was, she would be aflame. "I'm good, thanks for asking… I'm so sorry."

Ally took his hand and he pulled her up. "I'm Andrew, by the way. And you can stop apologizing, it's alright."

Breathing harder than she did when she realized she fell, the world started to spin. "Um. I'm Ally…" She looked up, trying not to look flustered. "I'm so sorry; I just can't walk in these shoes! This is my first party, and honestly, I'm freaking out, I've never had alcohol before, either. I'm so sorry…" _Word vomit. Damn it, Ally. Calm down. Wait. Trish? Where's Trish? What the heck, where'd she go? _A mixture of embarrassment and panic rose in her throat. "Sorry."

Andrew chuckled to himself and half-smiled. "You apologize too much, Ally." He tugged her out of the circle of people that were gaping and snickering about her awkwardness. "Honestly, this isn't much of my scene either. How about we leave, change into some more comfortable clothes, and meet me back here in a half an hour? We can go get tea. Or coffee, if you prefer."

Ally beamed. This party experience was going so much better than she expected, and she didn't even have to get drunk. "Yeah, sure." Smiling, she laughed. "As long as I pay for my own drink."

"But that's not something a gentleman would do!" He fake-pouted and laughed with her. However, after contemplating it for a few seconds, he nodded and replied, "Deal."

They were really hitting it off after a few more minutes, and Ally couldn't have been any gladder that she had come to this party. Until a door opened three feet in front of her and hit her right in the face.

"Oh god, I'm sorry—Ally?" Austin stumbled through the door. He looked at her sternly. "Ally. What the _fuck _are you doing at a party?" He looked utterly shocked and fazed. "No. No, I'm taking you back home, you shouldn't be here. You of all people. Ally, you're corrupting yourself!" He groaned with disappointment. He said something to himself, and Ally could've sworn he had said, _You're supposed to be good._

That set Ally off, and for the first time ever, Ally snapped. "Look, Austin, you can't control me. I can do what I want. So don't tell me I shouldn't be here." Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. An extremely wicked idea. "But…" she drawled, "if I shouldn't be here, then I'll leave. C'mon, Andrew." Then she took his hand and pulled themselves out the door, leaving an open-mouthed Austin, looking as confused as ever.

**Yay or nay? Eek. I hope to update one more time before school starts, and then it'll probably be once a week updates from then. Love you all for putting up with my updating! **

**Love, **

**Lauren**


	5. 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally, kay? Kay.**

Andrew was all Ally had ever wanted in a guy. He was tall, he read; he was extremely collected and logical… He was gorgeous. Most importantly, he took her mind off of Austin. Ally's heart pounded as she thought about Andrew's ever-so-dazzling smile. After they had left the party that night, they had raced each other to the tea shop in the Miami Mall. Once they got there, they stayed and talked until closing, which was hours of constant human interaction. Ally wasn't sure how she did it. But all good things come to an end, and he dropped her off at Sonic Boom at 4 in the morning with a kiss on the cheek goodbye.

As soon as Ally walked into the store, she _melted._ Dancing around the counter like a ten-year-old girl who had just met their favorite celebrity, she couldn't keep the gigantic grin off of her face. She was just so happy—and she didn't even know exactly why.

She definitely liked Andrew.

She continued dancing like a fool. She even put on some music, _Don't Blame it on the Boogie_, and paraded around as if it was her last day on earth.

Her dance party was interrupted by the quirky ding of the 'Look, Someone's Entering Your Store' bell. In came her friends: Trish, drunk out of her mind, Dez, with his arm looped around her waist, and Austin; staring hollowly into Ally's eyes as if they were the dark abyss of oblivion.

"Oh, um, hey guys…" Ally awkwardly shrugged off her bad dancing. "What are you doing here, exactly?"

Dez smirked. "Austin noticed you left the party and wanted to make sure you were okay, but then Trish, completely drunk, didn't want to leave. She basically threatened to tie him up and lock him in a closet if he mentioned leaving again."

Ally's heart, for one moment, ached at the idea of Austin's actions, but then snapped out of it. Despite her previous anger towards him, she couldn't help but think how sweet and incredibly Austin that was. _Stop. He's your best friend,_ she reprimanded herself. _And plus, there's Andrew…_ She smiled at the thought of his name. Avoiding eye contact with Austin, she made her way towards Trish. "Dez, we can put her on the couch upstairs. Do you think you can get her a glass of water? She's going to have one hell of a hangover…"

Meanwhile, Austin was still sending her death looks. Ignoring his icy glares, she helped Dez carry Trish upstairs to lay her down. Once Trish was settled, Dez declared that he had to get back home before his parents noticed he was gone and left quietly; leaving Ally and Austin in a tense fog of emotions. Ally couldn't figure out why Austin had been looking at her so distastefully. "So…" she trailed, trying to break the awkwardness. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Austin laughed maniacally. "That's the best you can do? Look Alls, you just slept with a guy and you know it. Why do you still keep me around?" His face turned from hard stone to twisted pain within a few seconds.

Incredulously, Ally raised an eyebrow. "Slept with someone? We got tea and had a _lovely _conversation, thank you." Ally struggled to hide her anger at his accusation, but calmly placed her hand on his shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes, which were red. "Austin, how much did you drink at the party?"

"Oh, so now you care about me?" Austin pushed her hand off his shoulder. "Yeah, maybe I got shitfaced drunk tonight, but that's none of your concern. I can handle my alcohol."

"What are you trying to get at, Austin?" Ally was done with this. "You've been a rollercoaster of a mess recently, and you've been taking it out on me. Of course I care about you…"

Austin shook his head. "I just… I just don't know what you're doing to me, Ally." He set his head down in her lap and began to cry.

_He's clearly drunk_, she thought. _And an emotional, crazy one at that. He's making no sense. _"Austin. Look up. Look at me, please." His eyes trailed up sadly to her face. Once they had made eye contact, however, Ally felt like her insides were slowly disintegrating. "Austin…" She became distracted by his jawline, and suddenly, all previous emotions about Andrew were out the window. _I barely even know Andrew. And… he's not Austin… _"Austin." She giggled slightly. "You're a mess." Her face turned serious again quickly, though. "I'm just trying to be the best person I can be towards you."

Ally noticed that Austin's fists clenched around the fabric of his tight-fitting shirt. He groaned and his emotions shifted once again. "Sure, Ally. Whatever you say. Like I said before, you're corrupting yourself. Where's innocent, goodhearted Ally? She's clearly running away. A-W-A-Y." Austin couldn't think straight anymore—because of both the alcohol and the argument. "Look, I gotta go home." He stumbled to stand up and walked towards the door, but his knees caved in halfway there.

Ally cautiously approached him. "Austin, I'm not letting you drive home now. You're too drunk to stand. Either I drive you home, or you stay here, okay?"

Austin shook his head. "I'm going home. I don't wanna be here anymore," he whined like a little kid. He tried walking to the door, but tripped over his own feet again. He turned around and crossed his arms. "Fine, Ally. I'll stay here."

Mentally sighing in relief, Ally rushed upstairs to go set up some kind of bed for Austin. When she came back downstairs, he had fallen asleep. "Austin," she shook his shoulder. "You have a bed upstairs, c'mon." He groggily opened his eyes and walked very slowly up the stairs. When he laid down and closed his eyes, Ally sat down next to him. Leaning on his chest a little, she looked at him somewhat longingly and shook her head. _Completely inappropriate time, Ally. He's drunk, he went emotionally crazy on you… But he just looks so peaceful now. _Running her fingers lightly through his hair, Ally daringly kissed him on the forehead. _He'll never know, he's asleep, _she thought. Then, her eyes grew heavy, and she laid on his shoulder and fell asleep.

And then Austin took the time to open his eyes and smile. Kissing Ally on the forehead as well, he wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes.

It was the best sleep either of them had ever had.

**Author's Note:**

**Hiiii guys. I'm looking for some new ideas to put in this story so if anyone has anything tell me, please! I hope this chapter was somewhat fulfilling, and yes, Austin's not supposed to make sense. He's drunk, angry, and confused. It's a bad combination for him (I've never drank before so my drunken people scenes need work, sorry). School starts tomorrow for me, wish me luck!**

**Love, Lauren**


	6. 6

**Author's Note: Don't hate me.**

Ally awoke to the sound of laughing. _Ugh, who turned on the lights? And why was it so hot in here? _Looking down, she saw Austin with his arms wrapped around her tightly, and suddenly, she remembered the events of the night before. But before she could look back on her memories, she made eye contact with the very unpleasant sight of Dez smiling at the two of them. "Dez… Can you please turn off the lights?"

Dez chuckled. "Anything for you two lovebirds," he gaffed. "Just make sure y'all use protection." And with a impish twinkle in his eye, he turned out the lights and left the practice room.

After he left, Ally finally felt like she could think back on the events of the previous night without feeling too embarrassed. From arguing with Austin at the party to Austin's accusations once he came back to Sonic Boom, Ally prayed that he wouldn't be able to remember much. She didn't want him to feel _too_ guilty, but in her defense, he jumped to all the wrong conclusions. She mentally groaned. Why was he so angry in the first place? None of his actions made sense to her. She did nothing wrong. _The way he looks when he's sleeping though, _Ally reminded herself. _He looks so peaceful… I just want to kiss him… But I can't… Oh my god. My life is like a teenage romance novel. _Sighing in slight annoyance and utter fluster, Ally pried herself out of Austin's grip and stood up, which resulted in him moaning a soft '_Ally'_ as his arms slumped to his own body. Her face went slightly red as she left the practice room.

And of course, as soon as she opened the door, Trish and Dez scrambled down the stairs in attempt to hide the fact that they were trying to listen in to whatever might have been happening inside.

Ally cocked her head and frowned. "Austin's still out cold, guys," she grumbled. "Mind your own damn business, by the way."

"Good morning to you too, you ray of sunshine," Dez countered playfully. "Is that, by any chance, sex hair you're sporting at the moment?"

Ally self-consciously patted her hair down. "No, Dez, you know that didn't happen. Anyway, I have to go change out of this-" she motioned to the clothes she wore to the party "-before my dad sees me. Or anyone else for that matter. You guys will take care of Austin, right?"

"Ally, I'm going to come with you. We have _lots_ to talk about," Trish said as she nearly dragged Ally out the door by her hair. "You're in charge of Austin, Dez!"

Dez looked semi-frustrated for a moment, but then shrugged his shoulders. He grabbed a trumpet and ran into the practice room, playing the instrument as loud as he could. "Austin! Austin! Wake up buddy!" He skipped around for about thirty seconds, and then he Austin reached out and grabbed his leg, which caused him to fall comically to the ground.

"Dez," Austin growled, "Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

As the girls drove back to Ally's house, Trish had gone complete detective mode on Ally. She asked her everything: from "Did you have sex with Andrew?" to "Did you and Austin kiss?" and even "Did you drink _anything_ last night? Because, girl, I don't think you understand how much fun you missed out on last night." Ally laughed and answered the questions quickly, and then checked out of Trish's story once she heard that she was dancing on the roof.

All Ally could think about was Austin. _Her best friend Austin_. Yes, she was happy about how her night with Andrew went, but falling asleep next to Austin… It was all she had ever dreamed of, and she even could have sworn she felt him kiss her on the forehead… Ally was ecstatic, but suddenly, she grew nervous again. "Hey Trish?"

Trish pulled up onto Ally's driveway. "Yeah, Ally? Oh… What's wrong?"

As Trish showed concern for her best friend, Ally couldn't help but hesitate. "You know 'Project Corrupt'? I lied to you. It was all about Austin…"

"Oh, home girl, I knew that already. You're too obvious with your feelings, but know that you have Andrew I'm sure you don't have to worry about him anymore," Trish shook her head and laughed. "And I saw him at the party last night. He is _hot_."

"Actually… That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I've decided…" Ally took in a deep breath. "I've decided that I'm going to go after Austin. I…" She trailed off again. "I..."

Trish put her hand on Ally's shoulder. "You can tell me, it's okay."

Ally breathed in again. "I can't believe I'm realizing this just now, but… Trish. I'm in love with him. I… I love him." Suddenly, Ally felt as if a two-thousand pound weight was lifted off her shoulders. She did it. _I love him. Oh god, I'm screwed._

Trish didn't say anything. Instead she squealed as loud as a human being possibly could, got out of the car, and ran to hug Ally. "C'mon, let's get you out of this dress and into something more you. Guess who's confessing their feelings to their best friend today?"

Ally just laughed.

The next three hours consisted of eating breakfast, taking much needed showers, and Ally yelling at Trish telling her not to put too much makeup or hairspray on her, but once she was ready to go, Ally was somewhat speechless. She wore a coral sundress that fit her personality perfectly, complimented by burlap wrap wedges that her freshly painted toenails that matched the color of her dress peeped out of. Her makeup was naturally done, and she wore a heavy bangle on her wrist that matched her earrings perfectly. Her hair was done in loose curls that seemed to cascade down her face like water. "Trish… I look… Nice."

Trish laughed as she gave Ally the keys to her car, "Yes Ally, you do. Now, go get 'em girl."

Ally quickly texted Austin to meet her at Sonic Boom before she started driving. The drive over to the store was antagonizing for her. The whole time she questioned her soon to be actions. _What if I tell him, and he just laughs? What if I tell him, and it ruins our friendship? I should probably just go back home right now. _She almost turned the car around five times, but the thought of what could happen kept her going. _What if… what if he loves me, too? _

Ally tried not to run into the store once she got there. "Austin, are you here?"

No response.

Ally's nerves started getting to her again. She almost started chewing on the edge of her hair, but then she heard noise in the practice room. Almost giddily, because she was so nervous, she waltzed up the stairs and knocked. "Austin, you in there?"

No response again.

Ally shook her head and mustered up the courage to open the door, but once she did, she wished she hadn't.

Because what she saw broke her heart entirely. Turns out, Austin was in the practice room.

But, he was fucking Erica. On _her_ piano.

With an eep, Ally shut the door loudly and ran down the stairs and out the door, leaving her heart behind shattered in pieces, for a boy that hadn't even noticed she'd opened the door.


	7. 7

The first few days were what Ally considered her worst nightmare. She kept her head down in the halls throughout the school, desperate not to make any eye contact with anyone. She stopped caring what she looked like, because_ what did it matter anymore, right, Ally? _

_Right, Ally._

She felt positively drained of happiness, which was replaced with a dark void of emptiness she never thought would be filled again.

She felt confused and heartbroken, confused because she thought Austin actually cared about her; heartbroken because he didn't.

Most of all, she felt betrayed. Betrayed that her so-called best friend could lie to her like that. Betrayed that her best friend still associated himself with someone he knew hurt her constantly. Betrayed that her best friend wasn't really her best friend anymore.

So she checked out of school, out of work, out of life. She didn't talk to Trish about anything, and was always found huddled in a corner, scribbling desperately in her book. She stopped going to school every day, and her grades slowly began to drop, almost corresponding with the way her smile faltered even more each day until her face looked permanently expressionless. She never sang. She never touched the piano. And she avoided the practice room and Austin at all costs. She totally gave up; she just didn't care about anything anymore.

Her friends were seriously concerned about her. Trish had no clue whatsoever about what had happened, and worried more about her every day. But she knew that only Austin would affect her this way, so she didn't ask questions in attempt to not bring up any more pain for her. Even Dez knew something was wrong, because when he asked her impetuously ridiculous questions, she never replied with any confusion or concern about why he was asking the question. She simply answered sadly, lowered her head, and walked away. But he did nothing as well, because he knew he'd only make the situation worse. The worst of all, however, was Austin. He had no clue, _not even an inkling,_ about why Ally was avoiding him and being so distant from everyone and everything she loved. He pushed her limits, asking her what was wrong, and then when she avoided him, he got even more up in her face than before. But he saw no wrong in it. He just wanted to know what was wrong with his best friend. And she never told him anything, and he planned on never giving up asking, but one day, weeks later, he just did. He gave her her space, and slowly formed bonds with other people, leaving Ally in the dust. Ally thought that him leaving her alone would make it easier to cope with her emotions, but she was hurt even more when he did. It was then she decided that he didn't care about her, and if her heart could break anymore than it already had, it would have.

So, she decided she had to end whatever ties she had with Austin once and for all. She trudged to his house on a gloomy Sunday morning. Clouds covered the sun, and patches of mist made Ally feel surreal, as if she couldn't believe what she was about to do. All she could remember on the walk over was the damp sidewalk, and the brown frog she saw that jumped into the gutter. Suddenly she was at his house, and she knocked on his door quietly. No one answered, so she knocked again, waited for a bit, and then turned to walk away. The door creaked open as Ally was almost to the end of his driveway. A shocked voice caused Ally to shut her eyes closed, as if she was scared to see his face. "Ally? What're you doing here?"

As soon as she turned around, she wanted to run into his arms, hug him tightly, and cry. Cry about her feelings that she had bottled up inside her, tell him everything that was wrong and tell him that she missed him. She wanted to tell him everything, but she held her emotions at bay because he was the one causing her the pain this time. After she took a deep breath to calm herself down, she saw that his hair looked longer and messier than usual, and his eyes looked tired. She walked towards him in what felt like slow motion, and said, "Hi, I kind of want to talk to you about something."

Austin perked up and sighed with relief. He began walking towards her with a little spring in his step. "Anything, Ally, of course, I'm here for you."

Ally frowned. "No, no Austin. I don't..." she gritted her teeth, as if it was hard for her to talk. "...I don't need you. This is strictly business."

Austin took a step back, as if her words had physically burned him, then his face turned stone cold. "Then what are you here for?"

"I'm just here to tell you that I won't be your partner in music anymore. Not song writing, singing, anything. I just..." Ally's voice cracked. "...I can't do it anymore."

The seconds that passed before he said anything seemed like eternity. Ally imagined that he wouldn't react since he never associated himself with her, but Austin's face turned red with anger. Ally cringed in fear of what he was going to say. "You really can't be professional enough to work with me anymore? Fine," he growled. "I don't know what happened, but Ally, you deserted me! Out of nowhere! You're supposed to be my best friend, and you leave me like that? I... I don't know. Just leave. Just fucking leave. So much for being friends." With that, he stormed into his house and slammed the door.

A tear rolled down Ally's face. She didn't expect him to react the way he did, and the fact that he did showed to her that he still cared. Well, at least he did before she quit on him. Ally felt more confused and broken than ever, and all she wanted, she decided as she walked back home, was time to heal.

And so time passed. Days without hope turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Ally climbed back to the top of her class and her grades were almost perfect again. Dez slowly followed Austin, and seemed to forget all about her. Trish and Ally became close again, and Ally explained everything to her. Austin avoided Ally like the plague, and Ally did the same. Time healed Ally's heart, but she felt like something was missing. An explanation, maybe. Or an apology. Or one last civil conversation between her and Austin for closure. However, as the months went on, Ally forgot about her love for Austin, and he became a distant memory of happiness for her.

That is, until a fateful event brought the two together again, a few months before they graduated high school...


End file.
